Smoothies are a fun and delicious way to get several different vitamins and minerals into your body while you are on the go or even relaxing at home. There are several different flavors of smoothies that you can make at home or purchase at various smoothie chains such as Tropical Smoothie.
Many people believe that smoothies are similar to juicing fruits and vegetables, but this is not exactly the case. Juicing involves extracting the juice from fruits and vegetables while smoothies involve inserting whole fruits and vegetables (or chunks of them) into a blender with other essential ingredients. Not only are smoothies healthy and tasty, they are extremely easy to make at home and you can save money preparing them yourself.
Some Nutrients Found in Smoothies
Smoothies typically get their name for their consistency. To make a smoothie, all you really need is a blender, some type of base such as water, milk, or yogurt, fruit, and sometimes vegetables. All you have to do to make a smoothie is blend all these ingredients together with ice. The best part of making and drinking smoothies is that you know exactly what you're putting into your body.
As mentioned previously, when you drink smoothies, you get lots of different vitamins and minerals from them. Fruits such as oranges, strawberries, tropical fruit, and melons are often put into smoothies because they are full of nutrients. Oranges contain Vitamin C, which helps to strengthen your immune system. Oranges also contain potassium, which is good for your heart and works to regulate blood pressure.
Berries like strawberries help lower instances of inflammation and fight off immune crippling illnesses. Pineapples, kiwi, mangoes, and avocado help form the texture and consistency of smoothies, and all contain both vitamin C and potassium just like oranges. These types of fruits are great for regulating blood sugar and supporting healthy nerves. Less common in smoothies, but no less healthy and delicious, are melons such as watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe, which are packed with vitamin C.
You probably never really thought about it, but smoothies also contain plenty of fiber, which is essential to your health. The daily intake of fiber for women and men is 25 and 38 grams. Adding smoothies to your diet can help you reach the recommended amount of fiber intake. When you eat fruits, the fiber found inside them aid to decrease the digestion process and help to regulate your blood sugar. Save Some for Later
Another great thing about smoothies is that you can put it in the refrigerator and save it for the next day. Unlike juicing, which requires that you consume your freshly squeezed juice right away, the fruit base in smoothies is either water or milk or fruit, which allows you extra time to drink it before it goes bad.
However, you don't want to wait too long to drink your leftover smoothie. We recommend that you drink whatever you have left the very next day if the base of your smoothie is made with milk.
Smoothies are a quick and easy way to get various types of fruits into your body. You can also add vegetables to your smoothie. Green smoothies are extremely popular and add even more health benefits to smoothies. If you're ready to start making smoothies, you can start your search online by searching for free and easy smoothie recipes.
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